Friday, April 25, 2014

Sunchokes = Yumchokes

Sunchokes = Funchokes

Have you ever had sunchokes? They are also called Jerusalem Artichokes. They are funny, irregularly-shaped, lumpy, brown tubers. Just looking at them, "yum!" probably isn't the first word that comes to mind. However, they are magically delicious and I love them.

They aren't easily found... but whenever I come across them at the farmers market, I always stock up. Like most tubers, they last a while in the fridge, and they are easy to prepare.

post-roast

Apparently they are good raw - on your salad or as a little munchy snack... but I can't really testify to that since I still haven't tried them raw. I really love sunchokes in soup - they have a very unique, earthy, semi-sweet flavor that is hard to describe. I think you could easily use them instead of in or addition to any other tuber in a soup recipe. That said, my most favorite way to enjoy them is cut up and then roasted in the oven. SO GOOD.

I cut 'em up, spray on a little oil, sprinkle with a little salt & black pepper, and then roast them at 375 for about 30 minutes or so (stirring half-way through). I prefer them when they get these golden brown roasty bits on them like you see in the picture. Roasting them really brings out their natural sweetness and the roasted bits get chewy and caramelized. Oh boy, it is good.

9 comments:

haha, your post title made me laugh :D I love knobbly lil sunchokes too! I have enjoyed them raw, just thinly sliced in a green salad but definitely prefer to cook or roast em, they get so sweet and creamy!!

At our first little house in Madison, Wis., we had sunchokes growing wild (and I do mean wild) along the fence line with our oh-so-perfect-backyard neighbors. I thought the yellow flowers were pretty, but Ms. perfect gardener called them "a bunch of weeds" and made me feel bad. She didn't want them escaping under the fence, so I obliged and tried to dig them out. Ha! Eradicating Jerusalem artichokes is not for the faint of heart. Eventually, I developed a bad attitude towards the poor sunchokes that is sometimes hard to get past. It's very hard for me to actually buy them, but maybe I'll make an effort.

Magically delicious is exactly what they are! When I was an organic produce manager, I used to buy them up fresh from the fields to wash, slice, and dip raw into hummus. But they are amazing roasted, steamed, fried, and definitely pureed in soup. I love those little guys even though they have super unpredictable cooking times!